About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Minimizing the Area's Roadway Congestion

The previous post and the following were prompted by a recent trip to the Aspen/Snowmass area that features free bus
rides.I submitted it to the
Times as a “Special to the editor” but have posted it since they will likely
ignore it.

Minimizing the Area’s
Roadway Congestion

The way to reduce
the congestion on the area’s major roadways is to offer free transit from all
the major P&R lots to T/Cs on 4th Ave in Seattle, Bellevue, and
Overlake.Rather than paying for
the ride commuters will pay a monthly or annual fee for an assigned parking
space.Those within walking
distance or who can be dropped off at P&R could ride free.

Sound Transit’s ST3
proposal to spend $54 billion and 25 years on “Prop 1 and beyond” light rail
extensions will never provide the needed capacity, the access to even its
limited capacity, or the route flexibility needed.Instead they should allocate funds to add 20,000 parking
spaces and connecting bus routes each year for as long as it takes to reduce
congestion.

Each P&R lot
would have its own BRT connection to and from the various T/Cs.All those who regularly commute
into Seattle, Bellevue, or Overlake area will be surveyed to determine if,
when, and where they would like to leave their car, where they would want to
go, and how much they would be willing to pay.Use this information to prioritize where to add
the parking, and when and where to route the buses.

Commuters would
likely welcome the chance to pay $250 a month or $3000 annually for an assigned
parking space.They could use it
whenever they want, share its use (and cost) with others, or carpool with
neighbors to and from the P&R.

A Sound Transit bus
costs approximately $10 per mile to operate (per 2016 budget).Thus, the $200,000 parking fees from
the 20,000 parking spaces would cover operating costs for 20,000 bus miles daily.If the average distance between P&R and T/C were 10
miles, the $200,000 would cover the complete cost of 500 daily 40-total-bus
miles required for inbound and outbound trips.The 500 buses could easily accommodate 50,000 daily riders
leaving ample room for those not required to pay.

Longer commutes would either require higher parking fees or less frequent service if
P&R fees are required to cover operating costs.(By comparison, Sound Transit’s approach to use fare box
revenue rather than parking only covers 28% of bus operating costs (Per 2016
budget)).

Assuming the
average cost for a parking space is $40,000 and each bus can make 2 round trips
during the morning and afternoon commutes, the 20,000 parking spaces and the
250 buses required will likely cost ~$1.2 billion annually.However, it would require no subsidy to cover the shortfall between fare
box revenue and operating cost.

Sound Transit could
spend ~ $6B over the next 5 years adding 100,000 parking spaces and BRT service
that would dramatically reduce congestion and require no subsidy to cover
operating costs. While transit may not be the answer for all commuters. "Free rides" will minimize the congestion. And they could do
so without ST3.Compare that with
Sound Transit’s alternative.

About Me

My last elective position was class president for 25 “class of ’57” seniors in Armstrong, Iowa. I received an MS in engineering at ISU, worked at Boeing for 36 years before retiring in 1998. My wife and I moved into our current home in Bellevue in 1967 where we raised two daughters. Three years of unsuccessful attempts to persuade BCC to block EL are available on “extended session” meeting minutes. Copies of many were sent to all the media outlets, legislators, and others to no avail. I’m hoping this Web site will convince east side residents to query their own legislators.